On September 25th, the first <a href="https://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/22/melrose-commons-earns-first-leed-neighborhood-honors-in-nyc/">LEED Certified neighborhood</a> in San Francisco will open in the <a href="https://www.inhabitat.com/2010/07/30/presidio-habitats-pavillion-wins-aiacc-design-award/">Presidio National Park</a>. The project's crowning piece is a former public hospital that has been transformed into a 154-apartment building, and the neighborhood also includes townhomes and duplexes that maintain a cozy relationship with some neighboring trees. We recently had a chance to see this incredible project firsthand as part of <a title="Arch + City" href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City.htm">San Francisco's Arch + City festival</a> - read on for an exclusive look!

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Presidio Hospital renovated into housing

Since the Presidio is a National Park, the legislation for the project is incredibly complex, involving historic renovation as well as LEED certification. None of the residencies in the Presidio can be sold, since the park is federal property.

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Central Courtyard at renovated Presidio Hospital

Two courtyards for the former hospital, now building 1801, feature drought-tolerant landscaping.

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Presidio Townhouses

The Belle Street Townhouses, another residential project for the neighborhood, are vertically-oriented around steep staircases.

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Presidio-Townhouses

The Belle Street Townhouses are LEED Platinum (tracking).

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Original tree preserved

The landscape includes trees original to the site, such as this one.

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Parking Lot Bioswales

These bioswales control runoff in the reduced parking lot, allowing for rainwater to seep back into the ground (or into a catch basin in the case of former landfill areas).

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Original French Doors in Presidio Hospital

In some cases the original french doors of the buildings were preserved, as in this unit - one that was built into the hospital's former sun rooms. As a restoration project, all of the building's original windows had to be refurbished rather than replaced.

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Presidio National Park

The project butts up against the trees of the National Park: nearby another restoration involves landscaping and acknowledging a cemetery that was paved over in the 1950s to make way for a tennis court.

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Drought Tolerant Plants

The original flag pole has been kept, and some landscape adjustments made to what once was a series of landfills.

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Drought tolerant plants in the courtyard

One landscaped courtyard features a sauna: the other, a gathering place and meeting pit.

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Fire Pit

A fire pit in one of the outdoor courtyards.

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False Door Fronts in renovated Presidio Hospital

Historic preservation regulations required these false door fronts in the hallways, to keep the feeling of a multi-roomed hospital.

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Officers Row Dining Room

A series of officer's homes have been remade into duplexes and townhomes: this is the dining room for one such unit. Despite years of neglect and some buckling due to weather, the contractors were able to restore the original hardwood floors.

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Old photos of Presidio Hospital

Andrew Wolfram of Perkins + Will displays photos of the hospital before renovation and development.

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Presidio Hospital refurbished hallway

A restored hallway in Building 1801. The project is LEED Gold (tracking).

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Refurbished Presidio Room

A hallway in nearby Building 1808, which now houses mostly non-profit offices. It's an LEED Silver project.

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Room in renovated Presidio Hospital

Because of the unique layout of Building 1801, the former hospital, there are 32 different types of units.

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Central Staircase in renovated Presidio Hospital

A central staircase is a rarity in modern buildings: it was allowed in this instance with some adjustments to the sprinkler system. When the building was empty for the last 20-odd years, this area was especially vandalized.

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Windows on 3rd floor addition at Renovated Presidio Hospital

A view from Building 1801's third floor addition. Life in the trees is not cheap: rent prices in the building range from $2,000- $5,800 a month. There are no low-income housing units, as those exist elsewhere in the Presidio. Folks who can afford the rent get the benefit of a fitness center, dining room and workshop, and are offered a free muni pass if they give up their parking space. Great luxury living for some, daydream fodder for the rest of us.

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Built Third Level

Pictured here: a permitted third level newly built on a portion of the old Public Health Service Hospital.

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San Francisco Presidio

On September 25th, the first LEED Certified neighborhood in San Francisco will open in the Presidio National Park. The project's crowning piece is a former public hospital that has been transformed into a 154-apartment building, and the neighborhood also includes townhomes and duplexes that maintain a cozy relationship with some neighboring trees. We recently had a chance to see this incredible project firsthand as part of San Francisco's Arch + City festival - read on for an exclusive look!